OMAHA (AP) - Dane Watts scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Creighton to a 76-46 win over Mississippi Valley State in a non-conference game Saturday at the Qwest Center.
The senior forward, the Bluejays’ lone returning starter from last year’s NCAA team, hit six of his first seven shots and scored 15 of Creighton’s first 21 points.
Watts finished the night 10 of 12 from the floor and was the only Jay in double figures.
Creighton (2-0) led 36-22 at intermission after scoring 11 of the final 13 points of the first half. The Delta Devils turned the ball over 12 times before the break, leading to 18 Bluejay points.
After trailing by as many as 17 early in the second half, Mississippi Valley State pulled within nine on a 3-pointer by Carl Lucas with 8:59 to play. Josh Dotzler answered for Creighton with a three-point play on the ensuing possession to ignite a 17-1 run that put the game away.
The Delta Devils (0-3) led only once, 6-4 after a Stanford Speech 3-pointer less than six minutes in. Watts tied the game with a pair of free throws, then freshman Kaleb Korver put the Jays up for good by putting back an offensive rebound. Watts later scored nine consecutive points for Creighton before a jumper by Kenny Lawson started the surge that put the lead into double digits at the half.
Lucas was the only player other than Watts to finish in double figures, scoring 17 points to pace Mississippi Valley State.
